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Saturday, 11 June 2011

Back at Mexico city, when my grandfather was still with us, he used to grow an amazing roof top balcony. He and my grandma grew a lot of plants. They had roses, chilies, strawberries, grapes and many other great things. Actually I started growing strawberries and grapes here because eating them at his garden Is a very happy memory of my childhood. However I think the most amazing and surprising plant he ever grew was a pineapple. Mexico city is a very cold place, it is high in the mountains and is not the most sunny city. Also, even though it doesn't snow, the winters are very cold, a couple degrees under cero. So growing a pineapple there fully outdoors is very hard. I still remember how some people said that it would not be able to grow any fruit, but in the end it did, and it was delicious.

I started growing two pineapple tops

Then, along with my grape and my strawberries, I want to grow a pineapple in memory of my grandpa. I would feel very proud if I succeed.

Pineapples are a bit expensive here to be buying them often, so I have limited chances. But lucky me I got my hands on a really good one a month ago, and another one this week. I have both growing directly into soil in small pots. Hopefully the hot weather will let them grow some roots. So far they seem to be well. The one from a month ago seems like is rooting already, but it is still very soon to tell.

Hopefully they will grow well

I had already tried growing one last autumn, but the winter was to much for it and it didn't make it. I am hoping that this time, since I am starting them much earlier they will gain enough strength to survive. If they do, I really have no idea what will I do with two grown pineapples, but I still wanted to give it a try. Growing pineapples from tops is a long commitment, so there will be plenty of time to decide.

Maybe you can bring them inside and keep them on a windowsill during the coldest time of winter. Also, if by any chance they do not root properly, here is what I have done in the past to root pineapple tops (I am not sure if you are already planting them this way, but if not this might be worth a try): Cut the top of with a few centimeters of fruit, then let it dry for a few days. After that, carve away the flesh around the central woody portion and pull of the bottom 4 or 5 rows of leaves so you can see rows little brown dots on the stem - these are were the roots sprout from. Plant it in a pot, water, and then cover the whole in a ziploc bag to keep it warm and humid, and keep it in a shaded spot until it roots.

fer, As a young kid I tried growing pineapple in a pot. It never produced a pineapple but it did grow. It was one of the ways I was beginning to see that I really liked growing things and probably added to all the other plants I tried growing eventually making me a gardener. So I guess you could say that the pineapple did produce fruit. It made me become a gardener! Jack

Hi! I'm from mexico and I can say that not the whole country is that hot, right now we're in summer and it's very hot! But anyway, we don't really use to grow pineapples in our garden but it looks like fun.

Here in mexico, pineapples are like 12 Mexican pesos (like a dollar) how much is a pineapple in Japan??